NOTE: This is a step-by-step tutorial for those new to SQL. If you already know some
SQL and want a more in-depth introduction to how SQL applies to SkyServer, see
Using SQL with SkyServer.

Another great way to learn SQL is to modify and submit queries that other people have already
written. To jump right in to modifying queries written by scientists, see the
Sample SQL Queries.

Searching for Data: A Tutorial

Did you know that you can search through SkyServer's database
for only the objects you are interested in? For example, you might want
to find all the bright blue galaxies for which we have obtained spectra.
Looking through all the hundreds of millions of SDSS objects with the Navigation tool
could take years. But using
the right search,
you could find 10 bright blue galaxies with spectra in seconds!

If you know how to retrieve
the right data, you can ask millions of different questions. Searching
SkyServer is an incredibly powerful tool for conducting astronomy research;
in fact, many professional astronomers search the data in the same way you
can.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to search SkyServer to answer
many useful astronomical questions. Do the tutorial at your own pace,
and use the links to the right to return to points later in the tutorial. As you
work, you may also want to look at the Sample
Queries, which are examples of real queries that other people have written to
search the database.